Hope for a Better World
by Useless19
Summary: Mark Mardon finds that there might still be a place for the Weather Wizard after the death of the Flash. Set in the alternate universe in 'A Better World'.


**Hope for a Better World** - _Mark Mardon finds that there might still be a place for the Weather Wizard after the death of the Flash. Set in the alternate universe in 'A Better World'._

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><p>Mark knows the woman recognises him. He's had enough experience with recognition appearing through confusion when people look at him to know that now's the time to <em>run<em>. Before they can get over the surprise of seeing the single most wanted man on the planet and _do_ something about it.

Mark pushes his way through the restaurant he'd been stealing food from and into the bathroom. He leaps through the mirror. After a year and a half it's become second nature and Mark doesn't even pause when he puts one foot on the edge of the sink and propels himself through into the world of reflections on the other side.

He's almost completely through when a hand grabs his ankle. Mark can feel his breath quicken and panic wells up. He can't die. He _can't_. He's the only one left.

The woman's grip doesn't let up and she follows Mark through to the mirror-world. She only lets go of Mark's ankle once she's fully inside. Mark pulls a gun out from beneath his coat and points it at her.

"It's ok," the woman says, holding up her hands and not moving closer to Mark, "I'm not here to hurt you."

Mark doesn't say anything. His arm's shaking and he's never going to hit her with Sam's old pistol if he tries to fire.

"I hate the Justice Lords," the woman says, "We want to bring them down and take things back to how they used to be. Where people were free and villains got justice, not death or worse."

"We?" Mark's voice cracks on the word.

"Me, Green Arrow, Nightwing," the woman says, "And more. Real heroes." She pauses, "You don't recognise me, do you?"

Mark shakes his head jerkily.

"I'm Black Canary," she says.

Mark wants to grab her and let relief wash over him, but he hasn't survived this long by not being cautious. He pulls another gun out of his coat and approaches her carefully.

"If you're not the Martian, you won't mind me doing this," Mark says.

Black Canary tenses, but doesn't move as Mark closes in with Mick's flamethrower. It doesn't have much fuel left, but there's enough to send a wash of flame over Canary's leather jacket. When the flames don't catch more than a little, Mark lets out a long breath of relief. No matter how well the Martian hid himself, he was always ridiculously flammable and fire has been one of Mark's tests since he'd almost been captured with a group of squatters a year ago.

"Satisfied?" Canary asks.

"Yes," Mark says, "You're working with Nightwing?"

Nightwing had been one of the most vocal protesters back when the Lords took over. It was only due to his status as a hero before it all went down that he'd been given any leeway. The Lords eventually grew sick of his rallies and shut him down. Even now though, Mark still hears stories about his exploits trickling through the frightened murmurs of civilians.

"I can take you to him," Canary offers, "Your way if you prefer."

Mark nods sharply. The mirror-world still felt safest. It was Sam's old playground after all.

"Where to?" Mark asks.

"Happy Harbour," Canary says, "Rhode Island."

Mark sets the pistol in his hand then grabs Canary's shoulder. When the pistol fires a nausea-inducing swirl of lights and colours pulls the two of them to the town Canary said. Mark learnt to deal with the sickness a long time ago, but Canary isn't so lucky and loses her lunch somewhere in Pennsylvania.

They stop with a lurch and several of the portals out of the mirror-world are showing a view of the ocean. Mark gives Black Canary time to pull herself together, which she does surprisingly quickly.

"See that mountain?" Canary gestures to the only mountain in the area, sitting peaceful and quiet through one of the northern portals, "Get us as close as you can."

Mark does so and pulls them out of a nearby pond. He's feeling apprehensive, but there's an undercurrent of excitement that's stopping him from turning around and running away. He's been hiding for too long.

Canary leads Mark to a side of the mountain and removes a rocky cover of a keypad. She types in a code and submits to a retinal scan then a doorway cracks open. Canary pulls Mark in quickly and the door closes behind them with a soft _click_ but what feels like an echoing _clang_.

It's dark, but Canary takes Mark's arm and guides him through to a hollowed out room. There's one man leaning over a mess of computers and wire, while another is talking to a little kid who can't be more than twelve.

All three of the strangers turn to look at Mark and Canary. Mark's willing to put money on the man with the boy being Green Arrow. Not many other people have a quiver of arrows over their shoulder and _that_ beard after all.

"Weather Wizard?" the man by the computers asks, "It's ok," he says when Mark flinches and looks up, "It's soundproofed. We can't be heard." He's stood up now and Mark can see the blue on his black outfit. Nightwing.

"Good," Mark says.

"Well, come closer, we ain't gonna bite," Green Arrow says, "It's good to see you're still about."

Mark remembers the last time he saw Green Arrow before all this went wrong. There had been lightning-rod arrows, which had been annoyingly effective. He remembers laughing about it with the Rogues afterwards.

"I..." Mark hasn't seen this many friendly faces – that is, faces that look friendly, not friend's faces – in a long time, "You're all that makes up the resistance?"

"No," Nightwing says, "There are others, but we keep apart to avoid capture. I'm not going to name names, but you probably know most of them."

Mark knows a lot of heroes, if only through talk at the bar. Supergirl, Captain Marvel, Aquaman, and so many others, some captured, some worse, some free. To think that someone's doing _something_ to fight gives Mark a giddy rush. It's unbelievably similar to the hope he'd gotten the first time Sam leant forward and suggested that there's merit to teaming up and who's with him?

"I think we could all do with something to eat," Canary says gently, picking up on Mark's mood somehow.

There's a much more welcoming living area to the cave and Mark finds himself sat at the kitchen table with the kid on one side and Canary on the other.

"You can call me Billy, Weather Wizard," the kid says.

"It's Mark," Mark says and has to swallow heavily, "You can call me Mark."

Billy's face lights up with a smile. "Awesome. Thanks, Mark."

Green Arrow passes around plates of chilli and Mark doesn't care that it's burning his tongue, because good food is scarce and it's so much better than dumpster diving. He has to force down memories of Mick feeding them similar food or he's going to break down.

"So how'd you escape?" Green Arrow asks.

Words start to tumble out before Mark can stop them and he can't get control of his mouth again. He just _talks_. It's the first time he's been able to tell another person and _god_ it feels liberating.

Mark tells them about being in the mirror-world when the Justice Lords came to Central. How the Rogues had been keeping things quiet for the past few weeks as a nod of respect to the Flash, but the Lords still came. How Sam had tried to get people through the mirrors to safety, but Superman and Wonder Woman had shown up and Sam had blocked off the mirror-world to stop them getting in.

Mark talks about being trapped, only able to see what was happening and not being able to be seen or heard by his friends even though he'd screamed his throat raw. He'd watched Len and Piper's last stand. The first – and last – time the two had been in complete accord when they'd stood up against the 'order' the Justice Lords were imposing. He'd watched the other Rogues be picked off one by one.

Green Arrow expresses sorrow for the loss of Piper and Billy adds his sympathies for all of Mark's friends. It almost begins to get difficult to talk, but Mark perseveres.

Mark talks about the strangeness of the mirror-world and how he hadn't needed food or drink, which was lucky since it took him five months to find Sam's stash of their back-up weapons. He doesn't mention that along with Sam's pistol, Mick's flamethrower, and Len's cold-gun, Mark's also got a boomerang tucked into his belt and a yo-yo and flute in his pockets, even though he can't use them. He tells them that his weather wand was snapped, but doesn't add that he keeps the broken pieces stuffed down his boot.

Mark talks about what he's done to fight the Justice Lords, but there isn't much to say there. He's only one man and even together the Rogues never managed to stop Flash.

Mark finally runs out of things to say and he feels exhausted. A look passes between the others, then Nightwing reaches up and peels off his mask.

"It's Dick," Nightwing says, "Dick Grayson."

Mark can only stare as his brain links up the name and if that's the case then surely Batman's...

"Oliver Queen," Green Arrow says and Mark can match the name to some of Piper's rants.

"Dinah Lance," Black Canary says, though Mark can't remember if that's supposed to mean something.

"I'm still Billy," Billy says, "But I'm also Captain Marvel."

Mark's stare must show how incredulous he is, because Billy gets up and moves away from the table. A cry of "_Shazam!_" and a blinding flash of lightning – one that Mark's used to and he doesn't flinch like the others when it hits – leaves Captain Marvel standing in Billy's place.

Another cry puts Billy back and Mark's shaken from more than the thunder. They're _trusting_ him. No one trusts him any more. Not since Len's wife gave him a basket of food and let him stay a night, before asking him to stay away or they'd both get caught.

Not that Mark could do anything with the names they'd given him, but it's _trust_.

"Welcome to the resistance," Nightwing says, holding out his hand.

Mark hesitates, but slowly reaches out and takes Nightwing's hand. _Hope_. It's a precious commodity in this world, but Mark can feel it build up inside him.

"I'm a Ro-villain," Mark feels compelled to point out.

"After the Pied Piper and Captain Cold, we'd welcome any Rogue," Green Arrow says, taking his turn too shake Mark's hand.

Mark wants to point out that he's never had the rigid morals Len took to his grave or Piper's compassion for his fellow man, but he realises he hasn't crossed the lines the Justice Lords have. For all his schemes, he's never succeeded, and Mark feels an odd stab of gratitude to the Flash for foiling his plans enough to let him be trusted to help here.

Mark can remember the first time Sam looked past the green mask and invited him – as _Mark_, not as the Weather Wizard – to join the poker game where James was fleecing them – somehow, Digger had a theory involving aliens that didn't sound that far-fetched once you'd had a few pints. Mark had lost most of his chips to James and the rest to Mick, but gained a spot with the Rogues.

The look Black Canary gives him now is eerily similar.

It's not the Rogues, not by a long shot, but Mark's tired of running and hiding and owes his friends – Flash included – enough to make a stand in their name. He's spent nearly two years alone and losing his grip on sanity and finally, _finally_, he's being given a chance to change it all.

"What can I do?" Mark asks and he can feel the broken pieces of the weather wand buzzing in anticipation against his ankle.


End file.
